Strollerderby : japanese

Japanese Robot Babies!

Kate Tuttle — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:01:00 GMT

What makes us human? Is it a mind, intelligence, the ability to learn new things? Is it the light shining in the eyes of a baby when she begins to wake up to the world around here, look around and take it all in? If so, scientists in Japan are hoping to expand all our definitions with the world's first robot that learns like a human child.

Called the Child-robot with Biomimetic Body, or CB2, the invention was unveiled two years ago and has made enormous progress since then. Rather than being programmed to walk, talk, and perform tasks, the CB2 is designed to learn to do those things by watching and interacting with human beings -- just like your kids do!

Developed by a team led by Osaka University professor Minoru Asada, CB2 has sensors under its "skin" to recognize human touch, and can "see" and understand (or at least categorize) the facial expressions of the people who care for it. Asada hopes that in a couple of years CB2 will be talking with the vocabulary and syntax of the average two-year-old child.

According to Asada, robots with human qualities are an easier sell in Japanese culture because of longstanding spriritual beliefs.

"Everything has a mind -- the mind of the lamp, the mind of the chair, the soul of the desk."

"Therefore the machines should have their mind too. If we proceed in this study, machines may have something like a human mind or 'robo-mind."

It's a fascinating experiment, but it makes me wonder why anyone would want to engineer a machine to act like a two-year-old child. My two-year-old is a ball of obsessions, enthusiasm and whining. He's lovely and I love him, but I'm not sure anyone would pay to have him in their house. I suppose the idea behind CB2 is that by learning how children learn, we can perhaps develop therapies to help children who aren't learning, or who learn differently. And if that's the goal, it's a great one. But as for me, I like my kids messy, unpredictable, and sans micro-chip.

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They Say -- Kids Who Skip Breakfast and Hate Mom Have Sex Sooner

Brett Singer — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Sometimes I read a news story and feel like I'm actually reading The Onion. Does that ever happen to you?

For example: this report from Japan that finds a link between middle school students and teen sex. Basically, middle schoolers who do not partake of the most important meal of the day are more likely to get a head start on making the out-of-wedlock beast with two backs. (That's an unnecessarily silly way of saying "having sex.")

What exactly inspires a study like this one? Were researchers conducting interviews with sexually active middle schoolers in the morning hours and thought that they looked a little hungry? Not exactly. The survey isn't talking about sexually active middle schoolers. That would be creepy. It specifically found that the "average age of first-time sex for those who said they ate breakfast every day as a middle school student was 19.4, while for those who skipped breakfast, the average age was 17.5."

It gets better. I'm going to quote this line because it may be one of the greatest sentences in the history of journalism: "The average age of first-time sex was lower for those who found their mother annoying." (See what I mean? Doesn't that sound like it should have been in The Onion?) Those who "said they disliked their mother" starting gettin' it on at the age of 16, on average. Folks who "appreciated their mother" didn't lose their virginity until the ripe old age of 19.

No word on whether or not girls with "daddy issues" were slutty, or whether or not sibling rivalries were the main cause of homosexuality. (I'm kidding, of course. But if that's the next survey this association conducts, I won't be all that shocked.)

Kunio Kitamura, executive director of the Japan Family Planning Association, conducted the survey. The quotes attributed to Kitamura are hopefully the result of a poor translation from Japanese: "The fact that people can't eat breakfast may show something about their family environment. Before blaming individuals for having sex at an early age, it may be necessary to look into the sort of homes they are from." In other words, it's not your kids' fault they're having sex. It's because the muffins were stale that morning. Oh, and you're a crummy parent. And your kids don't respect you as a mother. Or all of the above.

Hey, here's an idea. How about studying the TYPE of breakfast consumed? That is, are middle schoolers who consume mostly oatmeal in the morning more or less likely to engage in sexual activity before they turn 18 than children who eat pancakes? And what about if they have bacon with their pancakes? And why stop at breakfast? What about lunch? Does french fry consumption increase or decrease the likelihood of future sexual activity?

So if you don't want your kids to start having sex too young, make sure they eat breakfast. In middle school.

Ah, science. We have come so far. And yet, not so far at all.

Source: Reuters

Image: tamarackwv.com

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Japanese Spiderman Video

Brett Singer — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Spiderman – you know, superhero, sticks to walls, spins webs any size, etc. – is popular around the world. But sometimes the character is changed slightly for local markets. Here is – Japanese Spiderman.

Yes, we all have election on the brain. This video is so dopey that it will absolutely take your mind off of everything for about a minute. And that makes it worth watching.

If you REALLY want to zone out, here's a full episode -- 24 minutes long. I haven't watched it. But if you need this sort of thing, here you go. Perhaps it arrived just in time.

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Robot Baby Chick

Brett Singer — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:00:00 GMT

So let's say you wish you lived on a farm. That's not an option, but maybe you can at least get a baby chick and keep it as a pet. After all, baby chicks are so cute.

Then you realize, "Wait a minute. If I get a baby chick to keep as a pet, eventually the baby chick will grow up and become a full-grown chicken. And I live in an apartment. Clearly, this is a horrible idea."

But wait! SegaToys has a solution! You could get (drum roll, please) – a robotic chicken! For only 26 bucks American (that's, what, like 1.5 Euros these days?) you can get your very own teeny little robot pet. No muss, no fuss, no smell, and it never grows up. But it's still cute (video below).

Also, don't think you can just put your toy on a shelf or leave it in a drawer to play with when you feel like it. This toy is needy. From a site that sells them: "To make Dream Chick move and chirp, human contact is required. Touch it or pat it and it'll move its little wings and chirp from time to time. If you leave it alone, it'll chirp once in a while but contact is the key." You know, sort of like your children.

image: brando.com.hk

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Hello Kitty Goes High Fashion in Vogue

Kelly Mills — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:01:00 GMT

One of the problems with being a loveable icon of cuteness is it's hard to bust out of that mold and be taken seriously as a model. This has been the dilemma of Hello Kitty, and even posing for some racier pics and developing a vibrator with her likeness haven't helped her avoid typecasting. But that's all about to change, thanks to a designer who was willing to take a chance on her.

I swear I am not making this up: Hello Kitty will be modeling all the John Galliano (for Dior, yo) fall and winter designs in the Japanese Vogue. She will be pictured "posing with the designer and enjoying a shopping spree in Paris" as well. True life. Now, when Hello Kitty comes into your boutique, don't you pretty much give her all the stuff she wants for free?

Thankfully the cameras didn't follow her into the bathroom, because Kitty goes through so much blow you wouldn't believe it. I hear she gets most of it from her boyfriend, the lead singer for that band. You know, the one with that song? Anyhow, we wish Ms. Kitty best of luck on her career, and hope now she'll get the serious recognition she deserves.

New Uses for Old Products

Adrienne Martini — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:00:00 GMT

The solution for younger-looking skin has been with us all the time! We've just been foolish and wasteful enough to throw it away!

No, beauty isn't a result of diet or exercise or positive self-talk. It's locked away in the placenta.

I know what you're thinking. I'm thinking the same think, even more so now that I googled for placenta images. But a Japanese company called Nihon Sofuken is marketing a new line of "drinks, jellies and face masks" that harness the healing powers of the afterbirth.

I have nothing against the placenta. They are great, placentas are. I just don't want to smear it on my face -- even if it has, as Nihon promotes, a "delicate peach" flavor and is technically vegan.

Rest assured, pregnant ladies. Your former organs will not be snatched up after delivery. The products are only made from pig placentas. I'm just not sure if that is more squick inducing or less.

Photo credit: dailymail.co.uk

Kitchenista: A Lunch that Proves Your Love for Your Kid

Adrienne Martini — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:30:00 GMT

As you are packing little Ashton's lunch, have you ever thought to yourself, "hey, I wish this were more complicated and time-consuming?" Do you have a borderline case of OCD? Are you Japanese? If you answered yes to just one of those, have I got a book/blog/project for you.

Charaben are bento boxes for the small set. Writer Christopher Saylers has been documenting the Charaben trend on his blog and in print. KCRW's Good Food also just aired a story on Charaben and Saylers that is worth a listen, if only to let your mind boggle at how devoted parents can be to amusing their children -- as well as how competitive parenting can be.

It's cute, yes, this molding and cutting and styling of packed lunches. However, a few of the lunch artists readily admit that they invest so much time in order to elicit gasps from other kids at the lunch table in addition to their own child -- and some of those kids refuse to eat a lunch they don't deem aesthetically pleasing.

If you have buckets of time and glutinous rice, knock yourself out. I'll be over here, chucking random foods in a bag and using all of that extra time to yell at my kids to get their dang shoes on already.

Image credit: SMILE

Are Japanese Cartoons Better?

editors — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:40:00 GMT

We just recently received a screener of the Japanese cartoon Pucca (newly available on DVD), about a little girl with superhuman strength and a love of noodles, who's in love with a boy ninja-in-training. It's all very nonsensical and fun, in that distinctively adorable Japanese way. Which got us thinking about all the Japanese animation we've watched in our lifetime: Pokemon, Transformers, Totoro, not to mention some anime of a distinctly not-for-kids variety...

So what's the deal? Do Americans only see the good stuff, or do the Japanese just do it better? Thoughts? — Gwynne Watkins

Finally! The Secret To Successful Potty Training - Ugghh Ugghh Pants Man.

makeitadouble — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:01:00 GMT

Throw away the training pants, that Potty Training for Dummies book and the potty training chair. Gather up all your positive motivation training charts and build a bonfire in the front yard and then send that ridiculous potty training doll back to Dr. Phil.

Who knew that all it takes to inspire your child to use the toilet is a Japanese video with English subtitles about a domesticated family of singing tigers, a talking toilet, and colorfully animated urine rain drops and fecal matter kidney beans?

Potty Training in 3 Days? American Slackers. Try Potty Training in 2:34. Now I can get on board with that.

Spoiler Alert: Although this video will train your child to use the potty, the side-effect is that it will cause you to piss your pants.

Everybody sing, “Poo Poo, Come Out, Come Out, Ugghh, Ugghh, Ugghh, Ugghh …”